Interlocking hollow building block



Dec. 2, 1952 B, TATUM 2,619,829

' INTERLOCKING HOLLOW BUILDING BLOCK Filed June 22, 1948 B. L. TATUM YINVENTOR. v w V-77 v Attorneys Patented Dec. 2, 1952 UNITED STATESPATENT OFFICE 2,619,829 INTER'LOCKI NG HOLLOW BUILDING BLGCK Bethel'L.Tatum, Corpus Christi, Tex. 7 Application June 22, 1948, Sofia/1N0.34,503

(CI. 72-41) I 1 Claim.

My invention relates to improvements in building blocks which are usedin interfitting relationship to build up a wall. 7

An object of the invention is to provide selfaligning and self-lockingbuilding blocks which may be easily cast of concrete, pumice, volcanicash and other like materials.

Another object of my invention is to provide building blocks with anouter exposed wall facing of a decorative and harder material than usedfor the rest of the block.

A further object of my invention is to provide in such building blocks adecorative longitudinal groove in the outer exposed face of the block.

A still further object of my invention is to provide a building blockwith two end and two side vertically extending walls anda transversevertical wall therein between the two side walls which provides a pairof vertically extending hollow passageways and with one end wall upperportion having a male projection extending outward from the block andwith the opposite end wall having a recess therethrough of like size andin alignment with the projection so as to lockingly receive a likeprojection on an adjacently placed block.

A further object of my invention is to provide in a building block asjust above described, a recess in each side wall with the recesses oflike size and shape to the end wall recess described and with therecesses extending entirely through the walls, oppositely disposed andwherein. these side wall recesses and their common axes lie in theirrespective side walls intermediate the transverse wall and the end wallhaving the recess.

A further object of my invention is to provide in the bottom surfaces ofthe end and transverse walls of such a block as referred to above, analigning groove and in the upper surfaces of the walls, aligningprojections of like size and shape and positioned directly above thegrooves in the bottom surfaces.

Another object of my invention is to provide a building block with twoend and two side walls and a, transverse wall between the side wallswithta male projection on the outer face of one end wall and a recessextending entirely through the other end wall from outer face to innerface and adaptedto receive a, similar male projection on a similar blockjoined therewith and'with the two side wallshaving recesses therethroughin like manner tosaid endwall recess with each recess also being adaptedto receive a filler. block era juncture block which isadapted toitie twosuchblocksgtogether; when their recessed walls "are brought intoabutting relationship.

Still further objects and the entire scope of applicability of thepresent invention will become apparent from the detailed descriptiongiven hereinafter; it should be understood, however, that the detaileddescription and specific examples are given by way of illustration onlyand, while indicating preferred embodiments of theinvention, are notgiven by way of limitation, since various changes and modificationswithin the spirit and scope of the invention will become apparent tothose skilled in the art from this detailed description.

For a more complete understanding of the nature and scope of myinvention, reference can be had to the following detailed descriptiontaken in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein likecharacters refer to similar parts and in which;

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a corner block according to myinvention with side wall juncture recesses;

Figure 2 is a perspective view of a regular or intermediate blockdepicting one sidewall faced with a different material and having adecorative groove in the face thereof;

Figure 3 is a half block which may be used to make up or fill up an oddlength of wall space and to position a partition block;

Figure 4 is a partition block having sides with recesses for receivingpartitions joined normal thereto;

Figure 5 is a plugv block to plug off or fill a recess in a block wherethe recess is not neces sary; and

Figure 6 is a juncture plug which is used in the abutting recesses oftwo blocks placed with their recesses abutting. I

The blocks shown in Figures 1, 2-and 4 are each cast in metal or othertypes of molds of concrete, pumice, volcanic ash, or any other suitablematerial and will now be described as respects their common features.Each block is cast with two oppositely disposed vertically extending endwalls I0 and II and. two oppositely disposed vertically extending sidewalls I2 and I3, integrally joined with the end walls l0 and I l. Eachof the blocks in Figures 1, 2 and 3 is provided with a verticallydisposed transverse wall 14 extending between and integral with the sidewalls l2 and I3, whereby two vertically extending hollow. passagewaysare formed. in each block.

All of the blocks have the top and the bottoms ofv their wallshorizontally disposed and lying in a horizontal plane common top and ahorizontal plane common bottom.

II has formed integral therewith, as does the other blocks, a maleprojection I5. This projection I has its top I6 lying in the commonhorizontal plane containing the tops of the walls; it has verticallydisposed sides I! which diverge outwardly from the outer face of thewall II so as to form a dove-tailed shaped projection; and its bottom l8lies in a horizontal plane X which, as shown in Figure 4., extendsthrough the block approximately midway between the top and bottom of thewalls of the block. This corner block may have joined therewith a wallextending normal to the wall within which the corner block is contained.In order to provide for connecting or interlocking such a wall which mayextend from either side wall of the blocks, as in Figures 1 and 4, Icast into the block two oppositely disposed recesses, recess 26 in sidewall I2 and recess 2| in side wall IS. The recesses extend down intoeach wall from the plane of the tops of the walls to the commonmid-plane X as shown in Figure l. The recesses 20 and 2| are of likesize and shape to that of projection I5 which would be on a block asshown in Figure 2 that would abut and interlock therewith in forming theside wall. Each of the recesses 25 and 2| have their side limits definedby the vertically extending wall faces 22 and 23 in their respectivewalls which faces diverge in each recess from the outer face of theircontaining wall to the inner face thereof in a dove-tailed shapedmanner. The recesses are in common alignment as shown by their commonaxis YY in Figure l. The recesse 25 and 2| lie in their respective wallsintermediate the transverse wall I4 and the end wall II) as also doestheir common axis YY. When the corner block I has the side wall joinedthereto by its recess 25 in its side wall I2 and wall I3 becomes theexposed and outer wall, recess 2| may be plugged if desired by use ofthe block 25 shown in Figure 5 which has like shape and size to theprojection I5 and the recesses so as to completely fill the recess.Suitable cement would be used to permanently secure this block 24 in therecess as is used in laying up the blocks.

In Figure 2 I have shown a regular or intermediate block similar to theend block in Figure 1 but without the side wall recesses. There isformed in the end wall I5, opposite to the end wall I I, a recess 25similar to the recesses 26 and 2! as heretofore described. This recess25 is of like size and shape to the projection I5 and is oppositelydisposed thereto and in alignment therewith. The bottom of the recess25, as indicated 25', lies in the horizontal plane X as indicated forthe block in Figure 4, thus the bottom 25 of the recess 25 is in thesame horizontal plane as the bottom surface I8 of the projection I5.

The blocks shown in Figures 2 and 4 are formed with centering or liningup grooves 26 in each of the bottom surfaces of the end walls II] and II and the transverse wall It. These grooves are in common alignment,extend across each wall thickness and are parallel with the side walls.Vertically above each of the grooves 26 in the bottoms of the end wallII and the transverse wall I4 are complementary aligning projections 2'!of like size and shape to the grooves 25 formed when the block is cast.The projection in the end wall II extends also along the top surface Itof the projection I5. These grooves 25 and projections 21 are shown ashaving an arcuate cross section, however, they may be of other suitableshapes so long as they will interfit on adjacent blocks placed above orbelow so as to line up the 4 blocks forming the wall. In the positionsshown these grooves 26 and projections 21 lie along the center line ofthe block intermediate the planes of the side walls I2 and I3.

In Figure 2 there is shown as a feature of my blocks, a facing 28 on theouter surface of side wall I3. This facing may be of decorative materialsuch as clay or material suitable for baking or glazing or it can becolored cement or colored composition. I form this facing by slippinginto the mold a spacer of suitable thickness on the face side and thenpour the block. After the material of which the block is poured has setto a. suitable condition, the spacer can be removed from the top of themold and the space left by the spacer can then be filled with otherselected materials, as described above, thus giving the face of theblock a different effect without casting the whole block of the samematerial which is desired for the face.

Also in the block in Figure 2 there may be formed in the facing 28 adecorative groove 29 which extends lengthwise of the face and parallelto the top and bottom surfaces of the block. This can be done byslipping into the mold, thru suitable end apertures, a half-round or atriangular rod and when the material forming the facing has sufficientlyset, the rod is withdrawn.

In Figure 3 there is illustrated a half block having a male projectionI5 on its end wall II and a recess 25 in its opposite end wall II] as inthe regular block shown in Fig. 2. An aligning groove 26 and aprojection 2'! are formed in the wall I I, as in wall I I, of the blockin Fig. 2 which is described above. This half block in Fig. 3 may beused to vary the length of a course of blocks so as to make up an oddlength to receive in the course of blocks the partition block shown inFig. l which will'presently be described.

Referring to Fig. 4 there is shown a partition receiving block accordingto my invention. This block is similar to the end block in Fig. 1 havingthe projection in wall I I, the recess 25 in wall I2, recess 25 in wallI3 and in addition a recess 25 in end wall I8 as described for block 2.All of the bottoms of the recesses 21!, 2I and 25 and the bottom I8 ofprojection I5 lie in a horizontal plane X which extends through theblock midway between the top horizontal surface of the wall of the blockand the bottom horizontal surface of the walls of the block. Thus thisblock becomes a partition receiving block for a partition wall may bejoined with either recess 20 in side wall I2 or recess 2! in side wallI3. The recess not used may be plugged by the plug 24, see Fig. 5, asdescribed above for sealing off one of the recesses of corner block ofFig. 1.

Still referring to the block in Fig. 4, a groove 29 for decorativepurposes may be formed in the outer face of wall I3 as described abovefor the block in Fig. 2. V

In building up a wall there may occur two adjacent abutting blocks in acourse which have their recessed end walls adjoining. In order to lockthese blocks together, I provide a special oppositely projectingdove-tailed shaped plug 38 as shown in Fig. 6. This plug 30 hasoppositely projecting portions 36 and 39 of like size and shape to theprojection I5 of the blocks in the other figures as well as a shape likethat of the recesses which it serves to connect.

I have provided by my invention interlocking blocks which may be easilycast and used in various manner to build up a side wall, join on an endwall and hook in'a partition wall. The blocks have interlockingdove-tailed shaped joints which provide for tightly interlocking theblocks and centering grooves and projections for lining up the blocks tomake a plumb wall.

In the claim:

A building block comprising a pair of oppositely disposed verticallyextending side walls and a pair of oppositely disposed verticallyextending end walls integral with the adjacent ends of said side walls,each of said walls terminating in horizontal top and bottom surfaces, atransverse vertical wall extending between and integral with said sidewalls whereby a pair of vertically extending passageways are provided insaid block, one of said end walls having an integral projection on theouter face thereof bounded by a top, a bottom, an end vertical face andtwo vertically extending sides with its top in horizontal alignment withthe horizontal top surface of said end wall and its bottom surfacedisposed in a horizontal plane extending through said block and lyingapproximately midway the distance between the horizontal top and bottomsurfaces of the end and side walls, said vertical sides of theprojection diverging outwardly so as to provide a dovetail shapedprojection, the other of said end walls having a recess extending downfrom the plane of the top surface of the wall to a horizontal bottomlying in said horizontal plane containing the bottom of said projectionand said recess extending entirely through that wall from a planecontaining the outer face to a plane containing the inner face withoppositely disposed vertical sides diverging from each other as theyextend inward from the plane containing the outer face of theircontaining wall whereby a dove-tail shaped recess is provided of likesize and shape to said male projection and lying in alignment with saidprojection adapted to receive a like male connecting projection on asimilar second block when 7 said second block is slid into place so thatits end wall having the male projection abuts the end wall of said firstblock having said recess, each of said side walls upper portions havingoppositely disposed aligned recesses of like size, dove-tail shape anduse as said recess in said end wall and extending down from a planecontaining the top of said side Walls to a horizontal bottom lying insaid horizontal plane containing the bottom of said projection andextending entirely through their respective walls from a planecontaining the outer face to a plane containing the inner face of saidside walls and with these recesses in said side walls lying in portionsof said side walls intermediate said transverse wall and an end wall ofsaid block.

B. L. TATUM.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 460,177 Cook Sept. 29, 1891729,023 Vordtriede May 26, 1903 950,140 Lucke Feb. 22, 1910 1,449,529Meadors Mar. 27, 1923 1,571,849 Long Feb. 2, 1926 1,578,091 Perkins eta1 Mar. 23, 1926 1,794,572 Wyatt Mar. 3, 1931 1,844,828 Willson Feb. 9,1932 1,902,178 Nelson Mar. 21, 1933 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date176,031 Great Britain Oct. 13, 1920 166,623 Great Britain of 1921527,585 France of 1921

